Two Daily Halachot: Meat During the Nine Days and the Meaning of Hardship

Based on Halacha and Aggadah, in accordance with the rulings of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

From Rosh Chodesh Av, We Refrain from Eating Meat

It is customary not to eat meat from Rosh Chodesh Av until the 10th of Av, with the prohibition including the 10th of Av itself.

However, according to Sephardic custom, meat may be eaten on Rosh Chodesh Av, in honor of the day, particularly since the Rosh Chodesh meal is considered a mitzvah. Some Ashkenazim, however, follow the custom of refraining from eating meat even on Rosh Chodesh.

The custom applies to both red meat and poultry, as well as foods cooked together with meat. Fish, of course, is permitted.

Someone who cannot comfortably subsist on dairy foods because they do not enjoy them, or especially if they are not healthy for them, may eat poultry.

Who May Eat Meat During the Nine Days?

Young children who have not yet reached the age of mitzvah may be given meat throughout the Nine Days until the fast.

Similarly, a pregnant woman who is suffering during her pregnancy may eat meat, as may a nursing mother who is experiencing weakness.

Anyone who seeks halachic guidance during these days because they genuinely cannot manage without meat due to illness or physical discomfort may be granted permission to eat it. However, a healthy person who chooses to ignore the accepted custom simply to satisfy personal desire is considered to be disregarding a longstanding religious practice, and such conduct is viewed very seriously.

If a healthy person accidentally recites the blessing over meat after Rosh Chodesh Av, they should eat a small amount so that the blessing will not have been recited in vain.

Daily Inspiration

"Whenever hardship befalls a person, they should carefully examine their deeds, for God sends adversity so that people will fear Him and be inspired to return to Him. Just as a farmer guides the plow into its furrows, so too God guides a person back to the proper path through life's challenges. If, during times of hardship, a person fails to reflect and instead attributes everything to chance, the Torah explicitly warns of the consequences in Parashat Bechukotai: 'If you continue to treat Me with indifference... I too will respond to you with indifference and increase your afflictions.' Therefore, whenever hardship arises, one should sincerely resolve to correct at least one area of wrongdoing. Through this, God will have compassion upon them and bring them healing."

— Pele Yoetz, entry "Tzarah" (Adversity)

Understanding the Teaching

The Pele Yoetz teaches that when hardship enters our lives, we should view it as a Heavenly invitation to examine ourselves and improve our ways. Difficulties are not random events; they carry a Divine purpose, to awaken us to repentance and personal growth.

He illustrates this with a beautiful analogy. Just as a farmer carefully guides the plow into the proper furrow, God sometimes uses life's challenges to gently guide us back onto the right path when we have strayed.

The Pele Yoetz warns that if a person ignores the message behind adversity and dismisses it as mere coincidence, they lose an important opportunity for spiritual growth. The Torah cautions in Parashat Bechukotai that if we respond to suffering with indifference, the hardships may intensify, as it says: "I too will respond to you with indifference, and I will continue to discipline you."

During times of difficulty, we should sincerely commit ourselves to correcting at least one area in which we have fallen short. This should not be a passing thought, but a genuine commitment to change. Only then, says the Pele Yoetz, will "God have compassion upon him and heal him."

This perspective gives deeper meaning to life's challenges. Rather than seeing them as meaningless obstacles or random misfortunes, we are encouraged to view them as opportunities for spiritual growth, honest self-reflection, and personal improvement.

The message of the Pele Yoetz reminds us that nothing happens by chance, and that within every event — even the most difficult, lies an opportunity to strengthen our faith, deepen our values, and become better versions of ourselves.